To be a really successful self-employed fitness instructor, you must:
- become a ‘master instructor’
- provide an excellent service
- run your classes as a business
The health and fitness industry is huge and there are millions of gyms to join, classes to go to and personal trainers to hire. Exercise instructors are two a penny and most of them of mediocre quality – not always their fault as the pay in gyms and health clubs is generally lousy.
What does pay is to run your own classes – you can easily bring in £50 to £100 per class if you are good at what you do. The instructors that manage to make it on their own are definitely the cream of the crop and well on their way to becoming ‘master instructors’. However, as with so many other gifted professionals, they get tripped up by the ‘business aspect’ of running their own classes. Too often an instructor thinks hiring a hall, sticking up a few posters and turning up is all it takes.
In order to succeed you need to approach running your own classes as you would a business. And not only that – you must provide an excellent service, one that is a cut above the rest.
Here are 7 essential things that will make your ‘master exercise class’ a successful business:
1. Never cancel
Your clients may well be understanding (at first!) but to be honest it is your business that will suffer in the long run if you cancel. You need to put in place every contingency for ill children, car failure or whatever else may make you cancel! You have to make a total commitment to being there every week that you say you will – ill, injured or whatever.
2. Don’t use your class to exercise yourself
It is not about you – it’s about your clients. If you think “great I can keep fit while I earn money” then you have got the wrong idea. You will need to demonstrate obviously, but after that it is up on your feet and move around observing, talking and providing personal feedback and correction. Keep fit on your own time not your customers!
3. Provide personal value
Your clients are not just numbers in your class. You must get to know them, chat with them, be friendly and approachable. Greet everyone making sure you use their name. Try to make sure you also give some degree of personal feedback, correction, or praise to every person in the class. I can assure you this will make them feel personally noticed and in good hands.
4. Avoid having favourites
You may like some of your clients more than others and some will do better than others. But you must treat them all equally and not be seen to have favourites – no one enjoys it when there is a ‘teacher’s pet’ in the class.
5. Be business savvy, especially around marketing
Collect personal information to help your marketing and don’t forget to get permission in order to use it. You can very cheaply use email to send birthday greetings, email campaigns, newsletters, date reminders, etc. Encourage your clients to join your face book page and start tweeting. Set up a web site even if it is very simple to start with.
Be transparent and provide a written copy of your prices including your cancellation policy if they are paying upfront. Avoid having ‘mates rates’.
6. Become known as the ‘expert’ in your field
Become known as the local ‘expert’. Provide free advice and tips in the local newspaper. Provide useful content on your website where your clients can read up about you, get lots of free information and tips and even watch your videos?! It goes without saying that the drip-drip effect is important in a local community – posters, WI talks, school visits etc will all go towards getting yourself known in the community.
7. Be patient & do not give up
If you don’t have high numbers at the beginning do not be tempted to give up. With perseverance and if you really are a ‘master instructor’ you will have a full class in the end. I remember a very long 6 months of between 2 and 3 people in my first circuits class. By the next year I had 20 and then 2 years later I regularly had 40 and a waiting list! At £3.50 per person – you do the maths.